After the funeral my Nana’s attorney wanted to see me in private. The will had been disbursed already. My sister and brother both received 20 thousand dollars each. I was not even mentioned. It was a gut wrenching moment when I considered she didn’t think to mention me. I don’t care about the money. I just wanted a somnolence of affection.
I hesitated when her attorney guided me back to his car.
He said: ” Gail I need to talk to you. Would you please ride with me to the wake?”
As I paused for a moment. I could feel a tear run down my cheek. I tried not to sniff back the tears. I just wanted to blubber like the rest of them.
I was too hurt and angry to let loose.
I got into his town car. As I fastened my seat belt he handed me a gold locket.
My tears broke forth like a bursting dam.
She wore this locket every day that I could remember.
That’s all I wanted. I grasped the locket so tightly that my hands turned white.
I put the locket on and didn’t think anymore about it until I received a call from my Nana’s bank asking me if I was going to continue to use the box in my and Nana’s name. The cost would be 20 dollars for 6 months.
I looked down at the locket and opened it. Inside was a small key.
I called the bank back and made a appointment to view the box.
Monday morning I went to the bank to empty the contents of the box. The lady assisting me had a bracelet on that jangled louder than the keys she was holding. Once the box was pulled from it’s secured place she politely excused herself giving me my privacy.
I opened the box and found three items. A map , another key and a deed for a house in Ann Arbor Michigan.
Ann Arbor is a one hour drive from where I live. I have a week off from work so I decided to make the trip this afternoon noon. I will have my mail picked up by my neighbor and the lawn service will handle the grass.
It was sunny and warm but in the distance the sky looked ominous. I took the contents of my refrigerator and placed them in my cooler. I decided to stop and pick up more essentials such as wine.
My map quest soulless voice was telling me where to turn. I just hope that I don’t dead end into a one way nefarious location. Today I need my directions to be accurate.
45 minutes into my trip the voice told me that the next exit was mine. Next instruction was to turn left. After a couple of miles the two lane road was lined with trees. I pressed the button for my window to open. I listened and didn’t hear any banjos or jungle animal noises
I relaxed my hands on the steering wheel and continued to drive until the voice told me to turn left at the next road. Pine ridge road is the road for the house. I watched the mailboxes looking for the address. Some of the boxes were tilted from the abuse of plows and kids. Some were lying down from pure neglect.
The voice told me that I reached my destination. The mailbox was built to withstand whatever was thrown at it. Metal and brick. Yes, that summed up my Nana.
The dirt driveway wound around pines. The aroma of hot pine needles smelled like Christmas.
I stopped in front of a detached white with blue trimmed garage. The house sat to the left . Tucked into a clearing like a cookie cutter Hansell and Gretel house. White with blue trim, surround with hostas, coral bells and other shade loving plants. The walk leading up to the covered porch was paving bricks. The porch had a paving brick base with white railings neatly trimming it like a frame.
The door was the same blue as the trim. It had etched oval glass that obscured the view of the inside. I opened the door and viewed the neat and cool interior. The livingroom was approximately 20 by 15 ,it opened up on the left to a honey oak kitchen with blue marbled granite counter tops. The soap stone sink made me sigh remembering my Nana’s farmhouse and all the magnificent family meals we shared.
On the counter was another key and the registration of a Wrangler jeep. Just like the deed for the house my name was on it.
There was a folder filled with papers . I decided to leave that until tomorrow. I wanted to check out the bedrooms. There were two on the main floor connected to a hallway left of the staircase. 10 by 12 rooms which shared an adjacent bathroom. Both rooms had two double paned windows on one wall. Closets were bifold shutter style doors. I took the stairs up to an attic bedroom. The ceiling was peeked enough for a person over 6 foot could stand in the center. The ceiling tapered slightly. Windows to the right and left of center gave the room an airy feel. There were drawers built into the walls. Window seats were snuggly placed under each window with blue gingham check cushions. Just outside the room was a 5 by 8 vestibule with a small bathroom. The bathroom had a sink built into a dresser that had a marble top. A shower was placed against a wall just beyond the shower there is a rounded window portal. I was surprised to see the window opened.
Back in the bedroom was two large armoires. Perfect for hanging clothes. The bed was a queen size black wrought iron with a patchwork quilt. I took a closer look at the quilt. My Nana made the quilt out of the fabric of my clothes as I grew up. The center was from my christening dress. So many memories in the quilt. This is my room.
I decided to buy a quilt set because I wanted this quilt as a keepsake.
I wanted to go outside for a look around. The back porch was covered and has the same characteristics as the front porch. There is a white picket fence enclosing a acre of land. I need to get a dog or two. By night fall I was ready for a shower and a glass of wine. I settled in with my computer using my phones hotshot feature. I ordered the quilt set for my room and two dog pillows and dog food. I used this place as my address. At that moment I had decided to call this place home. I have a week to get all my necessities done and weekends to finish up. I rent the house that I live in. After emailing my boss and receiving a thumbs up in regards to the change of location. He was all for me continuing working from home as long as I come to the office for meetings. Typically we had meetings once a month.
My week went by quickly. My vacation was over and I needed to get work done. I took 20 minutes for lunch and decided to go through the folder of papers left on the counter. There were three. The first two appeared to be background information on two 10 year old girls . The last one was a diagram of the basement floor.
I sat staring at the diagram for a long time before I realized it was depicting the location of the two girls.
No explanation. I ran into the bathroom and threw up. I called my Nana’s attorney and told him what I found. He was the age of my Nana. He whispered ” I wondered what happened to them. She never had a funeral for them. “
I listened intently as he told of my 2 aunts being abducted. Their bodies were found 1 week later. I looked at the dates and it dawned on me that my Nana had this place built around the same time. My grandfather was in a automobile accident when my Nana was pregnant with my mom. Now I need to make a choice. Dig their bodies up to give them a proper burial or leave them to rest. I chose the proper burial. I figured my Nana gave me the diagram for that reason. It was time consuming and messy having the cement floor removed. Afterward I had the floor replaced with paving brick. The constant up and down the stairs wore them down as well. After the stairs were replaced I finally had the place to myself.
After the funeral I took another look at the quilt. It wasn’t made with just my clothes. My Nana’s heart shaped locket was filled with love and grief. I put it to rest with my aunt’s and next to their mother.
poems and short stories 